Our Fort Our Family
by Ayaka Sawai
Summary: Rei loved her daughter. Even though little Ayase could be a terror just like Mama Minako.
A/N: Fluff? Fluff. Minako x Rei

Review and I'll love you forever.

* * *

Rei Hino loved her daughter. She truly did. Her child (as much trouble as she could be) was still just that; her child. The very concept of not loving her was ludicrous, to say the least. Perhaps she didn't always like her, but then again Rei didn't even like herself sometimes. Anyways, it was hard to like her when she brought larvae into the house because they "were lonely in the dirt". Or when she took it upon herself to start snowball fights inside. Ayase was, more than occasionally, a problem. But with one of her moms being Minako Aino, how could she not be?

However, at the end of the day Ayase was Rei's problem, and that alone made all the difference. So as it was, Rei loved her daugher. She would always love her daughter. But, the fact of the matter was, Rei's only human. The fact of that matter was, she needed sleep. What she did not need was to be woken up for the fifth time in the row by a very specific, very troublesome, someone tugging at her pillow.

The culprit? _Ayase_.

Rei rolled over, bed creaking under her weight. She searched for her tiny porcelain face in the dark room.

"Ayase." She drawled.

The tugging stopped.

"What are you doing?"

Ayase didn't answer. Rei sighed, propping herself up on one elbow, sparing a quick glance to the alarm clock on the nightstand. 12:34. _Kami_.

"Do you need something?" Rei tried.

"...No."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah…"

"Your not dying?"

"No."

"All right." She dropped back down into her pillow. "Then go to bed."

Rei could practically hear her internal argument. As if not doing what she said as even an option. She would have laughed at the very thought of it, but all her energy was being put towards keeping her eyelids from drooping.

Then, just like that, Ayase scampered off. Sleep was already tugging at the foggy edges of her mind. She was more than willing to give in to the sweet embrace, sinking back down into her pillow, eyelids slipping shut.

"What was that about?"

Next to her, Minako moved, mattress shifting and creaking. Rei couldn't be bothered to open her eyes for the blonde. There wasn't anything all that spectacular to see in the dark room anyway..

"Your daughter doesn't want to sleep." She mumbled.

"Our daughter." Minako corrected with a playful click of her tongue.

Rei fought the sleepy smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "When she is like this, she is all yours."

"So when is she your daughter?"

"I think you know when."

Minako chuckled. Her sweet laugh, and the bed creaking even more as she shuffled around was all Rei registered before finally falling back to sleep.

* * *

Rei woke up alone.

It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. No two people could maintain identical internal clocks, and her and Minako were no exception. Minako liked to sleep in given the opportunity, while Rei preferred to be up as early as possible.

While waking up alone wasn't strange, waking up alone with no pillows or blanket was a bit more out of the realm of normalcy she'd carefully constructed in their lives.

What were the chances Minako had actually taken it upon herself to do some laundry?

Low. But a woman could dream.

With a deep breath and all the energy she could muster at 6:45 ( _Kami_ ) Rei pushed herself up and out of the bed. No Minako, no blankets, no pillows, and a door wide open. What were the chances she slept through some sort of apocalypse?

Not quite as low as one would hope, but low enough she wouldn't make it her immediate concern.

Not yet, at least.

The hall was just as empty, which at least made the trek to Ayase's room easier on her dragging feet.

While not an ounce of her being was surprised to see the door wide open with Ayase not so suspiciously missing from the messy room itself, it still begged the question of where exactly her daughter was. The house was quiet. Anyone who knew Ayase for more than five seconds knew she was not quiet.

Rei knew her girl. She knew her Minako. Either they had taken their chaos out of the house, or this was just the calm before the storm that was going to start raining on her parade any second now. Being prepared for both options didn't make anything easier.

Sighing, she spun on her heels and marched back down the hall.

Five years of her life with Ayase, and she still wasn't prepared to walk into the kitchen and see a pillow fort - albeit a poorly made one - in the middle of the floor.

She was even less prepared to see a familiar pair of smooth, slender legs sticking out from underneath her stolen blanket. Buried underneath it all, was Ayase... _and_ Minako.

Of course.

 _Of course._

Rei tilted her head back, exhaling slowly and grasping at her patience. It didn't help. She kicked Minako's leg.

The blonde jerked awake almost instantly, eyes darting around the room. When her gaze landed on Rei she seemed to relax.

"Morning." Minako smiled lazily, pulling the stolen blanket tighter around herself.

Rei raised a fine eyebrow. She said nothing.

Minako shifted uncomfortably under the hard stare. "You look beautiful today, honey." she commented.

She was reaching now. The eyebrow only rose higher.

"Did I ever tell y-"

"Minako." Rei cut in.

Her mouth clamped shut, waiting for whichever form of scolding Hino was going to dish out this time.

After a moment, Rei just let her shoulders droop.

"Well move over." Rei muttered, ducking down to crawl into the poorly constructed fort. Apparently she was going to have to teach them how it was done, starting with using the couch cushions over the bed pillows. But that could wait. For now, Rei wanted to reclaim the stolen blanket and her place in Minako's arms.

Minako was absolutely beaming at her as she managed to wedge herself between her wife and daughter. She pulled her fire princess close immediately, chin resting on her temple, Rei's warm breath ghosting over her collar bone.

Rei hummed. It was all the permission Minako needed to snuggle closer.

"An hour." Rei murmured, wary of the sleeping child next to her and what it could mean if she woke up. Utter chaos, came to mind. "Then you and her are cleaning this up."

Minako traced her neon polished fingernails up and down her lover's spine, repeating the motion again and again to lull Rei back into a well deserved slumber. "Of course." She responded softly, smiling into Rei's gorgeous raven locks. "After all. She's your daughter, isn't she?"


End file.
